In one of the more surreal traffic enforcement moments of the year, two Washington State drivers were busted this week for trying to outsmart the carpool lane by buckling in mannequins dressed to pass as human passengers. And yes, they went all out with wigs, scarves, and baseball caps.
The first bust came on I-5 near Shoreline, where a state trooper spotted something off about the silent passenger in the front seat of a speeding vehicle. Turns out, it was a mannequin fully decked out in a brunette wig, plaid shirt, and a winter scarf. Not exactly blending in, but bold enough to warrant a second glance… and a citation.
“The driver admitted this was only to be able to use the HOV lane,” said Trooper Rick Johnson of the Washington State Patrol over on X. Adding insult to injury, the driver hadn’t even named their dummy companion.
Just two days later and about 20 miles south in Federal Way, troopers made another stop. This time, the suspect mannequin was riding in the back seat, dressed in a bright yellow windbreaker and baseball cap, looking more like a discount coach than a carpooler.
While the fine for misusing an HOV lane in Washington is $186, bringing a mannequin into your crime adds another $200. That’s a total of $386, or roughly the cost of a decent used dummy on eBay.
Online, reactions ranged from mockery to begrudging respect. “I would have been fooled by the one with the wig and scarf,” admitted one Redditor, summing up what many drivers probably thought. If you’re going to cheat, at least make it convincing, right?
While some commenters pointed out that these kinds of stunts have been going on since the ’80s, others noted that most offenders only get caught when they’re speeding or pulled over for another violation. As one user quipped, “Classic ‘forgot to only break one law at a time’ situation.”
There is no word yet on whether the Washington State Patrol plans to add mannequin detection to its toolset, but based on recent history, it might want to start checking for sunglasses and seatbelt placement a little more closely.
